My Remains of the Day Journal

January 22, 2010 | 11 Comments

Over the Xmas break I joined a very cool online class called Remains of the Day by Mary Ann Moss.

It is something completely different – making journals out of scrap paper and sewing them together – and I signed up because I have been wanting to include more collage in my sketchbooks.

The class turned out to be the most fun I have had in ages – can’t tell you how much of a buzz I got out of the sewing the scraps together and now I am filling it up, it is just as much fun.
So finally… here are some images of it….

             


My Remains of the Day Journal Cover – the first bit of sewing I have done in probably a decade. There are lots of things that I would do differently next time.

My finished journal – I was in a rush to finish it before going away to the beach for a week so took a few photos before I left.






Some of my pages from the journal. I put them all together in one afternoon so didn’t have time to think too much – just went for it! Every second spread uses blank watercolour paper as its base but generally there is not much left – so I will have to sketch small!
I put the journal together without any thought as to how the spreads would go together – this could have been better – but oh well….
BTW my do-dads are mainly tickets from my overseas trips which I have not known what to do with.

My first attempts at actually using the journal when I was on holidays….


Wow. It is a real adventure to fill in my remains of the day journal.
It is nice to have some blank spaces – if not I have lots of postcard
wc paper to sketch on.
I wish I had had time to print off some labels before I left for holidays. I was still using my normal sketchbook so shuffling between two journals was a challenge – my ROTD was just a selection of small random events/ objects.


This journal is so much fun to work in… I either have to sketch small and constrained to fit within the white space left on the watercolour pages… or I sketch on postcard size WC paper and stick in.
My first attempt of free motion stitching on paper wasn’t quite as successful as I had hoped – but did I think of doing a practice run…no, not me!


I know this is long and skinny – click on image and then on flickr hit the all sizes to see full size..but I am trying to explain the sequence of one page – so much fun to work with. BTW I was on holiday and watching the cricket (I hardly ever sit down and watch it so it was a treat and my journal is full of score updates as a result!)
So much fun… and I haven’t even finished this page yet!

… All this was done in the first week in Jan and on Thursday night I decided to have a look at it again…




I got the orange thread back in my sewing machine and did a few bits and pieces in my Remains of the Day journal. This is just a total random way to work – but I love it!
I have decided to use it on a part time basis and not chronologically either – so it will be a collage of the trivia in my life!

And then last night I took it out with me instead of my usual sketchbook.

A quick sketch of a cruise ship departing Circular Quay, Sydney this evening – stuck into my Remains of the Day journal. I have turned the page around so you can see the sketch the right way. Ticket from a visit to Norway in Sept 09 has been folded out.

 

Had a fun evening with two friends tonight and did a few quick sketches to fill up a spread in my Remains of the Day journal…it is hard to explain in scans what an adventure it is to fill this up!

11 Comments

  • Sherri says:

    Hi Liz!

    I am in ROD class also and am totally in awe of your beautiful journal you have made. I am so excited to see you use it in your own special way with your sketches. You should be proud of your journal and I hope you continue to use more and more.

  • Susie says:

    Hi Liz
    Your pages are awesome. I love your watercolor sketches. You are totally giving your journal a great deal of tlc.

  • marciglenn says:

    Oh Liz – these pages absolutely beautiful. The sketches addsso much color and depth to the overall journal. They really give meaning to those days that have past. You are an inspiration.

  • Jo Reimer says:

    You've done a great job with making pages that will work as a different type of sketchbook. I really like that you are doing your own thing rather than following the crowd.

  • Jeanne says:

    Liz, your ROd journal is amazing. I just love your amazing sketches. You're so talented!
    xo
    jeanne

  • jan says:

    I see several classmates have made the same type comment about making some changes to their base page on the "next one". I think knowing HOW the journal will be used has a definite impact on the assembly and paper choices. I like how you added the wc paper to allow for your sketches which I find quite delightful. Thank you for sharing these pages.

  • taylor says:

    I love the sketches you have made for your ROD book. Truly inspiring and wonderful to look at. I better get going with mine. Thanks for posting them.

  • Linda says:

    I love your pages! I don't have my signatures sewn together yet as I just joined on the 15th. I DOOO love this class. Thanks for sharing your pages…

  • freebird says:

    I think you are doing great with your journal. I have yet to use mine. Actually, I still need to sew in the signatures!

  • Absolutely wonderful! I loved all the pictures! thank you so much for sharing! I feel like I've just eaten a great big box of yummy chocolate!

  • Beautiful!!!!
    Congratulations Liz !

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